By Elizabeth Hudson
BBC Sport in Athens |
The duo smashed the world record but anxiously watched their competitors race before finding out they had gold.
"I can't believe it," admitted McGlynn, who is visually impaired. "I feel I'm in a dream - it is just awesome."
"This was our first time to race against women and it was a fantastic event to be a part of," said Hunter.
The pair clocked a time of one minute 11.160 seconds, breaking the world record by almost eight tenths of a second.
And they became Team GB's first gold medallists in Athens.
They finished six hundredths of a second quicker than American duo Karissa Whitsell and Katie Compton, the last pair to go out, with Australian's Lindy Hou and Janelle Lindsay in third.
"I'm just thrilled to have won gold and I'm still in shock, to be honest," said Paisley's McGlynn, who fits in her training around her work as a trainee actuary. "We were really well prepared but we didn't know how we would go and we just smashed our previous best in what was a big field."
But it has not been a smooth ride to Athens for the pair, who have been travelling to Manchester for training every fortnight.
Hunter, who is based in Wrexham, broke her back a little over a year ago and has relied on a lot of support from friends and family to get her back in the saddle.
"I was told that I would never ride again, which was a huge shock but I've proved them wrong and I hope the consultant is listening," she said.
Even after the accident, McGlynn had faith that their fledgling partnership would resume again.
"When Ellen had the accident, I didn't realise the extent of her injuries for quite a while," revealed McGlynn.
"I continued on training and when Ellen came back she took it steady and we gradually built it up to get to this stage and it is just amazing."
Hunter had particular support from her husband Paul, who is also at the Games as the pilot rider for Ian Sharpe in the men's events and who went out on the track less than an hour after his wife's success.
"To have both of us competing here was very unexpected," she explained.
"The plan was to have one of us qualify for the Games so the other could look after our two children (a daughter aged nine and a son aged eight).
"But when both of us qualified, we had to change our plans and the children are now being looked after by our family but they were there to cheer us on."
Hunter's husband Paul piloted Ian Sharpe to the third fastest time in the qualification round of the men�s B1-3 tandem 4km individual pursuit.
Sharpe overtook their Bulgarian opponents Vasili Shaptsiaboi and Allaksandr Danilik to earn a showdown with Canadian pair Stephane Cote and Pierreolivier Boily in round one on Sunday morning.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
I was told that I would never ride again, which was a huge shock but I've proved them wrong 
